Bank vault ventilator system



May 12, 19310 B.- c. 6055 1,805,332

BANK VAULT VENTILATOR SYSTEM Filed May 1-5; 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l 111 dra May 12, 1931. B. c. 6035 1,805,332

BANK VAULT VENTILATOR SYSTEM Filed May 15, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fl I li'wevufor:

,giyram/ O. Gama Patented May 125, 1931 BYRON G. GGSS, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO BANK VAULT VENTILATGB. SYSTEM Application filed May 15,

This invention relates to improvements in bank vault ventilator systems, such as are used in banks, and similar chambers in Which 7 people are apt to be accidentally confined, to

5 ventilate the atmosphere in such vault or chamber, by pumping orothervvise delivering fresh air into the vault or chamber through an air circuit.

An object of the present invention is to w maintain control over the purity of the air which the ventilator system pumps into the vault or chamber by placing in the path of the stream ofair a suitable ft-ear gas absorber, or filter, such as are used in gas 15 masks, containing a quantity of an absorbing composition Which Will absorb, or filter, from the i i-flowing stream ofair any tear gas or-similar irritating asphyxiating, or disabling gas Which may have been dispersed 20 through the atmosphere outsideoi the wall,

and Which atmosphere is pumped'into the vault or chamber through the air circuit.

A further object is to provide a portable ventilator With a gas filter, that maybe in- 5 sertedin cone-shapedventilatingtubes that have been installed in bank vaults.

On many occasions, bank bandits havelocked employees and others in the bank vaults in order to prevent or delay the sound- 0 ing of an alarm, and thereby facilitate the escape of the bandits Without risk of immediate capture. If the persons confined in the vault are not released Within a reasonable time, suffocation, and sometimes death results from their confinem nt. in order to save the lives of any persons Who may be accidently confined in a vault, many banks have installed vault ventilating systems in their bank vaults. These ventilating sytems are operated When desired from Within the vault, and are under the control of the persons Within the vault at all times, enabling them to pump fresh air into the vault at Will. The air circuit passes through the Wall of the vault, but because of local conditions, it is customary to have the intake of the air supply of the ventilator system open into the bank room, partly because the dis tance from the Wall of the vault to the out side of the building is quite long, and partly 1930. Serial No. 452,714.

to prevent outside persons interfering with the air supply; accordingly, bank room atmosphere is ordinarily pumped into the vault. During attacks upon banks by bandits, it frequently happens that tear gas or a similar irritating gas is used by someone, either by the bank oiiicials in the vault, or elsewhere, by bank bandits, or by police authoriies, Which contaminates the atmosphere in the bank room. If any people have been locked up in the vault, and tear gas? or other irritating gas has been used, the vault ventilator Willpump thebank room atmosphere which has been contamina ed With the irritating gas into the vault, and the people Within the vault Will suffer greatly unless they are quickly released therefrom. The present invention provides a means to insure the safety of the confined person by abosrbing' or filtering the irritating gas from the stream of air Which is being drawn into the vaultthrough the air circuit. The absorb ing orfiltering material is contained in a suitable canistenand resembles ingeneral the composition used'in gasmasks, and in the present invention the canister is suitably located so aS to be quickly attached to the air circuit of the ventilator system, preferably by the persons confined in the vault; and may be readily detached from the aircircuit vvhen not needed. 0r the canister may be permanently connected as described here after; The ventilator systemvisso. arranged thatwhen desired a continuous stream or" freshman. may be delivered into the vault forv-entilation purposes ithout the use of the canister, and the system may be used at any time to maintain a wholesome atmosphere Within the vault. In practice, the canister is only connected in the air circuit when it is necessary to filter irritating gas from the atmosphere being pumped into the vault.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a View of'a preferred type of a ventilator system controlled from Within the vault, with an air inlet pipe passing through the Wall of the vault and connected to a suitable pumpwhich discharges theindrawn air will through a suitable canister containing a tear gas filter;

Fig. 2 is a view of an air discharge pipe connected to a 3-way valve, so as to control the delivery of the air;

Fig. 3 is a view of a modification of a ventilator system showing the canister containing the tear gas composition at the inlet end of the air circuit, behind a suitable detachable shield;

Figs. 4 and 5 are views of a type of coneshaped tube ventilator built into a vault wall with cone-shaped ventilators inserted therein;

Fig. 6 is a plan View of a cone-shaped canister to be placed in the cone-shaped ventilating tubes;

Fig. 7 is a section on the lines 7? of Fig. 5 showing the outer wall of the cone-shaped tube which is built into the wall, also the wall of the ventilating, tube, and also of the cone-shaped canister therein, and also showing the filtering material; and

Fig. 8 is a view ofa cone-shaped ventilator without the canister, to be inserted in the cone-shaped tube in the vault wall.

In Fig. 1, the ventilating system or air circuit comprises a suitable motor driven pump, 1, which pumps air through the pipe 2 passing through the vault wall 3, the air being drawn in through the perforated plate 4 on the outside of the vault wall; the air stream passes through the pipe 2, through the pump actuated by motor 1, and is discharged through pipe 5 and canister 6, which latter contains an approved type of irritating gas or tear gas absorbing and filtering composition 29, Fig. 7. The canister 6 is arranged to be quickly attached to and detached from the pipe 5, and when not needed is detached.

As shown in Fig. 2, the air discharge pipe 5 may be connected to a 3-way valve 7, which will deliver the air either to the free outlet 8, or through the canister 9. This arrangement is advantageous for the reason that the irritating gas, or tear gas composition would have a longer life if not in constant use, while the provision of the 3- wa Y valve makes it immediately available.

11 Fig. 3, an approved type of irritating gas, or tear gas canister 10 is connected to the air pipe 11 at the inlet end; in Fig. 3, the air circuit comprises the pipe 11 in the vault wall 12, and terminates within a casing 13 behind a detachable perforated plate 14 on the outside of the vault, the canister 10 being attached to the end of the pipe, and the purified air discharged within the vault through the free outlet15.

In Fig. 4, a cone-shaped tube 18 is built into the vault wall 17, and ordinarily is empty. When desired, a cone-shaped ventilator 19, shown in Fig. 8, is placed in the tube 18. The ventilator 19 consists of a cone:

20. The ventilator containing the canister 24 is then inserted in the tube 18. The air is pumped through the canister as shown by the arrows, and filtered, and the purified air delivered into the vault.

In Fig. 5, a similar cone-shaped tube 18 is built into the wall 17, and when desired there is inserted therein a cone-shaped ventilator 25 (see Fig. 8) resembling in generalthe cone tube 20. In the tube 25 is an opening 26, the edges of which are turned down as shown in dotted line at 27-2'?, to provide narrow ridges or flanges on each side 01' the opening, and within the opening 26 and supported on each side by the flanges 27 is placed a canister 28 similar to canister 24 shown in Fig. 6, but having a larger diameter. The cone-shaped ventilators 19 and 25 are conveniently located within the vault so as to be easily accessible for quick insertion in the cone-shaped tubes 18 should their use be necessary.

I claim:

In a vault ventilating system, an air circuit comprising an inlet, a positive. air drive, and an outlet, a 3-way valve comprising an intake and two exhausts, the intake of said valve connected to said outlet, one exhaust connected to an irritating gas filter and the other exhaust opening into the vault, which on turning said valve the gas filter may be disconnected from said air circuit.

In testimony whereof I, hereby afiix my signature.

BYRON C. GOSS. 

